STRENGTHENING CAPACITIES AND COMPETENCIES WORKING ON DIFFERENT LEVELS TO IMPLEMENT LASTING CHANGES

THE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES DEVOTE SUBSTANTIAL BUDGETS TO THE STRENGTHENING OF CAPACITIES AND COMPETENCIES, AND WHO AND PAHO HAVE REPEATEDLY STRESSED THAT THIS PLAYS AN ESSENTIAL ROLE IN HEALTH SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT.

Most countries are involved in profound transformations of their health systems. To fully achieve their objectives, this process requires they invest even more in strengthening organizational capacities and staff competencies. This is a complex process being carried out on all levels: professionals, governance, institutional and public environments, networks, inter-institutional liaisons, and even social and community capital. The stakes are high, and challenges abound. With more than 20 years of experience, we have specific knowledge regarding:

● conditions to ensure the effectiveness of strategies to strengthen collective capacities and professional competencies in a sustainable way;
● how they are linked with individual and health system performance;
● factors influencing the links between competencies, individual performance and, ultimately, health system performance;
● the support mechanisms to be implemented;
● the most appropriate methods to strengthen competencies (self-learning, on-site training, distance training, mentoring, retraining, upgrading, conferences, twinnings, etc.);
● the place of new technologies in capacity-strengthening strategies.